Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1887-03-15
READING PEOPLES MINDS
MANY MYSTERIES PERFORMED
BUT NOT EXPLAINED.

Full of PeOple-SOme OF the lesUs oA
formed--The Men Who Composed the
Committees.
j. Randall Brown demonstrated at the
Savannah Theatre last night either tnat
humbuggery has been developed into
wonderfully perfect science or that there
are more and far stranger things on
earth than even Horatio dreamed OF In
his philosophy. The house was packed
full all the way back to the doors. Many
ladies were present. The audience got
impatient before the show started.
When the curtain rolled up plain
cabinet, a sofa and three chairs were re-
vealed. Prof. Brown made prellmi-
nary statement about what he
proposed to do and enJolned
the spectators to preserve silence. lie
remarked that he had list OF names
which had been handed to him. and the
gentlemen he requested to act as COM
mittee to watch the performance and as
slst in 1t. The gentlemen named were
Cart. Robert Falligant, Fleming Il. du-
Bignon, Esq, w. W. Fraser, Esq, Or.
George Ii. Stone, GaZsway Hartrldge-
Esq, and MIR. II. l.. Schreiner.
FINDING HIDDEN ARTICLES.
Mr.. Brown announced that the first test
would be finding an article TO be hidden
BY any gentleman whom the committee
chose to select from the audience.
Capt. FL. NJ. Branch, who was sitting In
the front row OF the dress circle, was Sc
lected, and he went up on the stage. The
Professor was then blindfolded and was
led back behind the scenery where 1t was
Utterly impossible for him TO see
what was going on in front. Capt.
Branch walked off the stage at the
left, went up through the left aisle,
around by the doors. and on as though he
was going into a box on the right. then
he turned around and went back to The
right aisle leading through the pit, by
which way he reached the stage. On his
way he had stopped and talked with half
a dozen persons, and the audience could
not tell where he had hidden the article
or what 1t was.
WENT THROUGH THE HOUSE.
Mr.. Brown came out on the stage blind
folded, grasped Capt. Branch's left hand
in his left. He then proceeded to rub his
forehead brisklv with his right hand,
whipping the air and cracking his fin
gers, alternating by passing his fingers
over Capt. Branch's forehead. In the
course Of a minute or two he went of the
stage on the left, passed up along the aisle
blindfolded, and leading his
subject. The mind reader kept
moving his right band about
as he passed through the audience, and
from his manner appeared to be endeay-
oring to keep up the magnetic current
which he had minated must be estab-
lished before he can get EN- rapport with
his subject.
The two gentlemen moved briskly
around the house, went up and down all
Of the aisles, went up into the left family
circle, down again, and moved about all
over the house again, stopping now and
then for moment.
THE TEST FAILED.
In about five minutes MIR. Brown led
Capt, Branch upon the stage and stated
that he had failed. Capt. Branch stated
that he had hidden his watch in MAJ.
Ryals' pocket back by the door. He add
ed that Mr.. Brown stopped along side OF
Mai. Ryals and took something which
looked like a watch from another gentle
mans pocket. The audience was half
satisfied at the failure, as they thought
the test came very near being success.
Mr.. Brown stated that he would make
another trial, observing that he mad sue.
cessfully performed similar trick with
Capt. Branch eleven years ago. DIR. Cor
son was selected by the committee. While
Mr.. Brown was blindfolded and led back,
DR.. Corson hid an article with
gentleman in the dress circle
on the right. The Professor
. went through the same operation of rub
hing his forehead that he did with Capt.
Branch, and he did the same thing in all
OF his mind-reading tests. He was only
minute getting ready to start, and then
led the doctor straight toward Mr.. l., s.
Haines, and after few passes and turns
around reached down in one of his pockets
and took out silver match-case, which
DIR. CorsOn said was the article he had
hid. Eyerybo stood up and cheered.
FACES THOUGHT OF.
MIR. George L. Cope, Jr., was selected
by the committee and told to think of
face in the audience. The operator
started off rapidly and moved quickly
around the house, through two rows of
seats in the dress circle, disturbing the
occupants, and in about TWO minutes
stopped and indicated Mr.. Thomas Bal
Iaptyne as the gentleman thought OF.
MIR. Cope said that Mr.. Brown was right.
The next tesk was going over a route
through the house TO be marked off on a
piece of paper. Mr.. Joseph ROseuheim
, was chosen by the committee. Mr.. Brown.
blindfolded, took him over a complicated
route. through the pit and dress circle,
back up on the stage, TO and fro two or
three times in front of the footlights
around the cabinet three times, down in
the pit again for few steps, and then up
on the stage and TO the committee. The
experiment was pronounced success,
with the exception of going down into
the pit the second time.
DESCRIBING FACES BINDFOLDED.
Mr.. Brown said that the next test
would be extremely delicate. Mr.. Ed
ward Abrahams was chosen as the SUBJ
ject. He was requested to take mental
photograph of some face IN the audience.
Prof. Brown then led MIR. Abrshams
through the house for five minutes and
fiually upon the stage. Without remOv-
ing the bandage from his eyes he describ-
ed two gentlemen. one OF whom he be-
Iieved was the party thought of.
The bandaRe was removed and Mr..
Brown went down in the audience and in
a few minutes picked out Mr.. j. NJ. Solo
mons as the party, which was acknowl-
edged to be correct.
THE SPIRIT sEANCE.
That concluded the mind reading per-
Torrance, and the spIritualistS part was
taken up. The trick OF lifting light
table by placing the finger tips upon 1t
was successfully done.
A metal ring, apparently solid, was
slipped oyer Capt. Falligants arm when
!. he had hold of the mediums in the cabi-
.-net and the CaDtain declared he did NOT